Undergraduate / "I Came, I Spoke, I Conquered" UC Prompt #2 essay [NEW]

Public speaking has always been a challenge for me. Dancing and singing on stage poses no threat but when it comes to standing all alone with the microphone in front of me, my brain ceases to function. I have a hard time recalling the speech or essay I spent days to write. This was why I avoided participating in any competitions that involved speaking on stage. But the day did come when I had to face my fear.

Even though I despise politics, one day in 10th grade, I decided to run for the post of school president. I had the full support of my teachers, parents and friends. I felt I could bring about a change the students wanted to see. The process of campaigning went on smoothly. I then realised the day I had to give my speech in front of the entire school was creeping closer. Though I had prepared my speech a week in advance, I couldn't help but feel nervous. I practised day and night. My friends had my back; they taught me all the techniques they could think of, from counting backwards to imagining the crowd in their underwear.

The dreaded day finally arrived. However, when I woke up that morning, instead of feeling nauseous and scared, I felt like the king of the world. Well queen, in my case. As I walked up on that stage and turned to face the audience, the hysteria kicked in. Although on the bright side, no one noticed my quivering knees because of my loose, long clothing. I took a deep breath and gave my speech. After I was done, the assembly burst into applause. It was not what I had expected. So after a few stunned minutes of silence, I thanked them and bounded off the stage as crowd surfing didn't seem like much of an option in front of the principal. After such a great response one would expect to win, but no, that didn't happen. My friend won the election. And no, I wasn't heart broken. I had done what I had set out to do. I spoke on stage, with hundreds of eyes on me without fumbling or forgetting a single line. I was proud of myself. My confidence level rocketed and I became more of an extrovert. I had finally shed my "shy skin". I had finally conquered my fear. I carried this confidence with me throughout my high school life. It helped in in so many spheres, from playing basketball to achieving better grades.

Eleanor Roosevelt was right: "You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do."

Undergraduate / 'I fashioned some moves of my own' - UC essay prompt#1 [5]

Prompt 1 answer:
If identical twins are separated at birth and are raised by two different families, they might still look alike but their personalities are poles apart. The people who you grow up with are hence an important aspect in your life. They not only guide you through the mysteries of life, they mold you into the person you are today.

If I could describe my family in a single word, it would be Fudge. This might be a peculiar choice, but it defines them perfectly- mostly sweet but with a few nuts. It has always been the three of us -my sugary sweet mother, my nutty elder brother and me.

I constantly drew inspiration from them. In fact, when I was younger, I was so eager to follow the footsteps of my brother that I mirrored his every move! I would sometimes wear his old uniform and follow him to school. I usually didn't make it all the way; my mother would always catch me and drag me back into the house. Since then I was in love with the idea of going to school, of reading books, doing homework and learning new things just like he did. When I was finally old enough to go to school, I remember, on the first day I was probably the only kid in my kindergarten class who wasn't clinging to their parents crying their lungs out, begging them not to leave. I had a huge smile on my face and immense satisfaction in my heart as I waved goodbye to my mother and entered the classroom.

Inquisitiveness, Independence, Hard-work, Perseverance; these are some of his qualities that rubbed off on me. He also showed me the joy of learning. Now I don't follow all his moves. I fashioned some moves of my own. Just like how during DNA replication, a daughter DNA strand is formed using the parent DNA as a template; I used my brother's path as a base on which I have started to build my future. His love for computers made me want to find my passion. That was the hard part. I knew I wanted to do something to change the world, to make it a better place. However, what that was, I didn't know yet .Then one day in the 11th grade during biology class, we were learning about microscopic beings like the virus and prions. I was completely fascinated by how these insignificant entities could manipulate and destroy an entire human body over a short period of time. I found myself drawn to study them in clearer detail. But the lack of facilities and opportunities available to me was a major obstacle. Nevertheless, my determination never faltered for I have finally found my passion.

If it wasn't for my brother's constant instigation or my mother's unrelenting love and support, I would probably turn out to be a very different person than I am today. A person I'd rather not be. As Jane Howard rightly said, "Call it a clan, call it a network, call it a tribe or call it a family: Whatever you call it, whoever you are, you need one."

Please be ruthless and tell me how i can improve the essay!
thank you!